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Hi Everybody,

Transitioning from our relaxed summer schedules to the more hectic and demanding school year schedule can be difficult. Here at the middle school, we’ve been getting used to a new principal (Ben Donaldson), new class schedule, and of course new classes and workloads. We can’t wait to see what new adventures this year will bring!

However…. We feel it’s only appropriate to take one last look at our summer days, as we quickly move into the colder temperatures of autumn. Here is a slide show from our summer Field Trip to Tumbledown Mountain, which was inspired by the book Lost On A Mountain In Maine. For those who may be unaware, this book is the true story of a boy, Donn Fendler, who survives in Baxter State Park for nine days on his own.

Recently the middle school students went to Bradbury Mountain. The purpose of this field trip was to apply what they have been learning from the book, Lost on a Mountain in Maine.

Students identified x,y coordinates on a map before leaving. When they arrived at the mountain, they identified which trail would lead them to the top. They were responsible for reading the signs and following the blazes to find the summit.

Marlaco studied this fantastic picture book in a Social Studies unit on migration. It is the story of a man who must flee his own country to escape a terrible, pervasive menace. (This menace is depicted in the book by a terrible dragon, an allegory for terrible oppression or persecution.)

The man arrives in a country where the language, culture, food and geography are all new and unfamiliar, though the country is welcoming to refugees. The book depicts the man’s gradual assimilation in his new surroundings, as he prepares for his beloved family to join him.

Our English Language Arts students have almost finished reading the entire script of the Disney movie, The Lion King. We are presenting the script in google slides – the picture above is one of the slides – and students get to play the various parts. It is great to see the students play their parts with such enthusiasm. They don’t mind being directed to read parts again – ‘this time with feeling! - and are thoroughly absorbed in the development of the characters as the story unfolds. We will get all the installments online soon, so you should have a chance to read the script together at home.

The students are working on a really cool project. We are making gumball machines, with wonderful support from Ms. Julie Marshall in Room 122. We are working carefully from our plans. We measured the wood to the right size. Then we used compasses to mark circles, and cut circles in the wood; sometimes we need to file the wood to get everything just right. “They are a great group of students,” says Ms. Marshall. “Some of them had very little experience with woodworking, but they are picking it up very quickly.”

The students are excited to go to Connecticut this week to play in a basketball tournament. As you can see, they have been practicing hard, and they look forward to some good games. “The students love the games,” said coach Matt Welch. “And a great part of the whole experience is meeting students from other schools, and making new friends.”